Stiger’s Tigers (Chronicles of An Imperial Legionary Officer Book 1)

I can not wait to get into the next book. I am and always will be a fan of Edelheit, he is a great writer, he draws you in and you find it hard to put the book down. I love novels about war or history or romans. I have been in a few conflicts myself, war is not pretty, or glorious, it is ugly bloodied and down right hourable. Any sane man would try to avoid war at all cost. The romans were the most greatest milatary power the world has ever seen and these books give you a small insight on how they lived. It has been said that if you have to go to war go all out, hold nothing back. Make the other poor sob die for his country and not you.

I read a lot of high fantasy and this author has created a very good military story with touches of high fantasy. It's a great blend and though I entered this not knowing what to expect; I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed book 1. It's not too long and it isn't too short, has a great pace and when the action hits, it hits hard and has me on the edge of my seat. It is well written too which I found refreshing. So many unknown authors that I have discovered on the store and it would seem most do not edit their books for spelling errors etc. I only found two mistakes int his book and none that bothered me. All in all a great story and I look forward to the rest of the series.

Well written and reasonably well edited (the latter is extremely rare). If you are a Roman or military history buff, you will enjoy this series immensely. If you are not a Roman/military history nerd, but simply enjoy a good read, you will also enjoy the series.

The premise is similar the Turtledove's Videssos Cycle, but is not derivative.

I was not happy when I finished the fourth (and, to date the last) book. I want the author to quit wasting time with family, career and sleeping instead of getting the next book published. That is high praise for any series.

So here we have another military drama set in a weirdly alternate setting borrowed heavily from the Roman Empire, and centered on another tough-as-nails protagonist and his Elf(?) pal. Wait...elves? In the empire?
Captain Stiger heads South, where he will be given a company of misfits and ne-er-do-wells to whip into shape so he can carry out his orders. Orders that suck, given spitefully because his reputation travelled even faster than he did. But this dirty-dozen on a supply mission plot takes a hard left when Stiger moves off the beaten path and discovers the unknown legacy of his disgraced ancestor. Soon enough he is not just fighting to serve his empire but caught up in a tale of good and evil that races right to the end of the book. Where we are introduced to the dwarves...

Whoa. At first I didn't know what to make of this book but within a few chapters, I was hooked. The author has done a great job creating a believable world with a nice blend of Roman-style military action mixed with just the right amount of magic which is rare in this setting.

Captain Stiger, the hero is a well-developed character with strengths, doubts and flaws as he struggled to improve the lot of his men as they're sent on a perilous and suicidal mission.

I tore through the first book in two days and eagerly downloaded the rest of the series. As a true fan of fantasy, I highly recommend this series!

The story is a combination fantasy and Roman military tactics. Two thousand years after a Roman legion is transported to a different world, a new Empire is constructed in a new world.v This one with elves, orcs, dwarves along with gods, demons and priests. The characters are fairly well developed with believable motivational likes and dislikes. The heroes are heroes while the bad and evil deserve their fates. I enjoyed reading the story and recommend it to those that like fantasy.

This book is somewhat reminiscent of the early Black Company books by Glenn Cook but not nearly as complex. World building is not a focus of the book. I assumed it is based on imperial Rome with the addition of some fantasy elements.
Magic, Elves, Dwarves, Paladins, and Demons all make an appearance but the focus of the book is military training and mission based on Roman practice and is very well done. If we are talking Ancient Rome some things have been taken away and others added. Latin sounding names are missing but they smoke tobacco and drink coffee which in the real world did not appear until the Colombian exchange. The author, being a history professor knows this so maybe he wants to see if readers will notice. A more in depth revealing of history and geography in Stiger's
World would clear these things up.

I like the fact that religion plays an important role in the book and is depicted in a positive manner. That is somewhat rare today when religion is the whipping boy in so much literature, television and movies.

There are no women in the book, not even prostitutes or camp followers. This quite an omission in this day and age.

I have downloaded the next three books in the series and fully expect to enjoy them. I am sure these later books will fill in details about the characters and their world which will provide the reader a chance for more emotional attachments to the people in the stories. I think an extra star might be in order as the story continues.

It's a well-told story of a Legionnaire, who's competent, tough, and in touch with how things really need to be done. If you like stories of Rome or the legions, you'll love this. This isn't the quite the Roman empire of our world, but that didn't distract from the story at all.
There are some formatting problems with the ebook, though. On my voyage, the default text size appears to be a 4pt text, with the font locked in an Ariel type font. Set on maximum size, it's readable, but not very comfortable.

The naming of his company by his legionaries concludes this fine book. It is the story of the makeup, training and conditioning of a legion company. Captain Ben Stiger is a hard taskmaster but also a fair and just leader. The journey to Castle Vrell is a testing ground for Stiger's company and no one knows what awaits at their destination. This is an enjoyable book. Bring on more of Stiger's adventures.

I have been reading mostly urban fantasy, but decided to give this a shot. I was not disappointed. I will continue to the next book. My only gripe is that it feels almost like a D&D campaign written down, complete with standard fantasy races and classes. I’m still going to read it, but if old school D&D isn’t your thing, maybe take a pass.

Ok, a bit of a jumpy start; needs a prequel! Stiger's history appears, tantalizes and disappears. The apparently odd relationship with Eli (elf) is unexplained and floats about the central plot-line and of course there's the references to the mysterious and perhaps not so vanished dwarves. While I felt there could have been more plot and major character development, I also enjoyed the story. The three major characters were gradually filled out with several others, who hopefully will develop more depth. The story is an interesting amalgam of Roman legion marching into a southern forest with the same trepidation and challenges of the German and Dacian forests and mountains, magic and not so distant gods, and potential battles of legion versus the so far reclusive "rebels" of whom we know little. I do hope the author will continue the story and build out the narratives the initial story suggests. It is a good read, enjoyable and leaves a positive curiosity of what happens next in what one would hope would be a maturing series.
Fred Y.

Roman legions aren't my normal cup of tea. That said, this was a wonderfully fresh and exciting book. The legion is set up with a modernized command structure with many ranks that did not exist in ancient times and appears to be on a different world rather than using an alternate history approach.

Maps would be appreciated :)

FYI, there are dwarves and elves.

Good book!

I enjoyed this book. It was engrossing without being tedious. Enough background to get a feel for the characters without psychoanalysis of their every action. I thought the book also provided a surprise with the introduction of magic. I knew it was coming after reading the reviews, but it appears at just the right moment. I will be reading the other books in the series. The only negative is there are a fair number of grammar errors, but they don't detract from the story, just sort of annoying. Read the book, you'll enjoy it.

Having read books 1 - 3, I am hooked and will happily continue reading to the end. For my part, I like Mr. Edelheit's slow unveiling of the high fantasy sides of the story. At first, you will think that this is a journey tale of the rise of Stiger, and his troops, from lackluster origins to seasoned fighters. It is that, but more. The novels have grand themes, amazing ancient military realism, characters that I find captivating, plenty of suspense and drama, all presented with clear prose that moves everything along at just the right pace. I like fantasy that does not draw attention to itself, but is immerses the reader so fully and deeply into its creation that it is lifelike as it proceeds and saddening when it breaks off - because the writer has brought you so far into their vivid world that you don't want the tale to end. A fine original series, one I expect will keep delivering the goods, as the story is revealed.

As an avid fan of Roman Legion history and historical fiction, I did not realize what I was reading. I began complaining to myself that this fellow knew nothing of the legions. It suddenly dawned on me that these were not roman legions. I was reading fantasy. And an incredibly well crafted, articulate fantasy at that! Not an overwhelmingly magical one but a highly plausible meld of small unit tactics, quests and personal struggles. The beautifully developed characters, the intricate relationships developing among them and the masterful plot lines draws the reader in so deeply that suspension of disbelief flows without effort. This will appeal to historical fiction readers as well as fantasy readers. In a nutshell, this is one darn good read!

This book grabbed my attention and didn't let go This first book is clearly a set up for future books and I'm looking forward to them. The novel set the stage and started introducing characters that move the action forward. It's really an introduction to the first scene of the overall storyline which we'll be getting in future books. In fact he has a few more main characters to introduce and I can hardly wait to start the second installment. I strongly recommend this as a very fun read

This is a very good story. I'm not good at leaving reviews, so you won't get details. If I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, that means it's a pretty good read. I like the character Stiger. He's a tough but good hearted soldier, and doesn't deserve the treatment he received from Imperial Legion. But, I love his attitude and the determination he has in making his troops top notch soldiers, and his dedication in taking care of them. Looking forward to book two.

This is an exceptionally book and an amazing series. It keeps a good pace an builds interest without having to use gratuitous sex or violence. Marc Edelheit is not a novelist, a writer, or an author, no he through this story has shown himself to be much more than that. Marc Edelheit is a story teller, a weaver of fantasy and magic, heros and villains, a constructor of worlds an wills. I fully expect to find his name listed one day with Sanderson, Jordan, and Tolkien.

I have so far read all three of the books in this series and have enjoyed it immensely. I can't wait for more to be released. The mix of roman and fantasy makes for an intriguing combination somewhat reminiscent of Harry Turtledove's Videssos Cycle novels. I'm enjoying these books more since Turtledove's repetitive writing style made it difficult to get through that series. Edelheit doesn't have that problem. The characters and scope of the story leaves a lot of room for expanding the series. I can see possibilities for prequel and sequel novels and short stories. This is an author who's work I expect to enjoy for quite a while.

Not a bad beginning, although I confess the author almost lost me with the whole elf thing. If you get past that, and the fact that the author really, really, really wants us to know that Stiger's smile is pulled into an "unintentional sneer" due to a scar received somewhere back in time (we know this because we're told this in exactly the same phrase used at least 6 times before the sixth chapter), then you're in for a decent story. It kind of reminds me of Elizabeth Moon's Paksennarion stories, possibly because, in addition to the enigmatic elf, some magic, and dwarves who we never really meet, there's a paladin involved. The tale is told in a workmanlike fashion and is certainly entertaining. It held my interest enough that I am looking forward to reading the next installment. Hopefully, the author now won't feel the need to remind us any further that Stiger's smile is pulled into an unintentional sneer anymore!